History of C of O

The College of the Ozarks began as a dream. In 1905, young Presbyterian missionary James Forsythe was assigned to serve the southwest Missouri region. When he arrived, he saw that the young people were in desperate need of education. Forsythe expressed to the Missouri Synod of the Presbyterian Church his dream of a school that would provide a quality, Christian education to young people who would, in exchange, work to help the school operate.

Forsythe’s dream came true in 1906 when The School of the Ozarks was established and was granted a charter by the State of Missouri for the purpose of “providing Christian education for youth of both sexes, especially those found worthy but who are without sufficient means to procure such training.”

Originally, the purpose of The School was to provide an opportunity for a high school education for young people of the Ozarks plateau. However, in 1956, The School of the Ozarks added two years of junior college to the four-year high school program. In 1964, the Board voted to expand the two-year program into a four-year liberal arts program.

The four-year college program began in September 1965, and was given preliminary accreditation by the North Central Association that same year. In August 1971, The School was granted full-accreditation by the North Central Association.

In 1990, the Board of Trustees approved changing the name of “The School of the Ozarks” to “College of the Ozarks.” Since 1989, the College has been named one of the "Top Baccalaureate Colleges in the Midwest" and one of the “Best Buys” by U.S. News & World Report magazine each year. C of O has also been named to the Templeton Honor Roll for Character Building Colleges and to the Templeton Honor Roll for Excellence in Free Enterprise Teaching. In addition, C of O has been listed as a “Best Buy” by Barron’s Guide and Money Magazine, a “Best Value” and "Stone Cold Sober School" by The Princeton Review, "Top College" and "Best Buy" by Forbes, and has been recognized by numerous other national publications.

College of the Ozarks has maintained its reputation for excellence. In 1994, the Missouri Department of Education awarded C of O a “#1” ranking—the only such ranking ever given by the Department—in recognition of the College’s commitment to its Mission.

The distinctive tradition of the Work Education Program and the College’s commitment to encouraging academic, Christian, cultural, vocational, and patriotic growth in its students have attracted and continue to attract famous guests, including U.S. Presidents and First Ladies, U.S. Commanding Generals, Prime Ministers, and other dignitaries who recognize the College’s uniqueness. Today, the College offers degrees in more than 40 academic areas and student enrollment is approximately 1,400. College of the Ozarks continues to offer quality academic programs, bringing to fruition James Forsythe’s dream of offering “the best intellectual training under the best possible moral and Christian auspices.”